Here we go again. This chapter will include a bit of a time jump, because I feel like I don't wanna drag out the dull part of the storyline, so...here we go!

10 Months Later...

Mark opened his apartment door to a smiling Lexie, holding his two and a half year old daughter's hand.

"Daddy!" Haley cried, jumping in his arms.

"There's my girl." He chimed in, kissing her and hugging her fiercely. "Come on in." He said to Lexie.

"I brought her a change of clothes and some of her DVDs so that she won't be your hair the whole weekend." She told him, placing Haley's Tinker Bell backpack on the couch.

"Are you in my hair?" Mark asked the little girl in his arms.

"Nah." Haley said.

"Okay, monkey. Give Mommy a kiss goodbye, okay?" Lexie giggled.

"Okay." Haley chirped, hopping down and running over to her, throwing her little arms around her mother's neck.

"Hey, where's my kiss?" Lexie asked, causing Haley to come running back and blow a raspberry on her cheek. "I guess you should be careful what you ask for, huh?" She laughed.

"Why don't you head on into your room and I'll be in there in a few seconds, okay, munchkin?" Mark asked, crouched down looking her in the eye.

Haley sighed, "Fine."

Mark stood up and looked at Lexie who was shuffling her feet awkwardly.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'm fine." She said, placing a smile on her face. She paused for a few seconds and tried again. "So, how are things with...um...what's her name?"

"Shannen." Mark replied.

"Right, Shannen." She giggled nervously. "Are you guys happy?"

"So far." He answered. "And you and Aiden?"

"Good." She replied. "I'm actually late for lunch with him, so..."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you Sunday night?"

"Yep. I'll be here."

Lexie turned around and left as quickly as humanly possible. They were both dating other people, wedding bands were off, and the assets had been divided, but there was no denying the magnetic pull that was still there everytime she found herself in a room with him. Shannen Fitzgerald was an incredibly nice girl, she worked at the hospital as a Plastics scrub nurse. Everyone seemed to like her fine, including Lexie. She couldn't bring herself to hate the girl that was making Mark smile in her absence. Aiden Williams was a sweet, easy-going, and respectable guy she met through a friend at Haley's daycare center. He was a practicing children's dentist at a small office in Seattle and Lexie adored him. Not only did he make her swoon and treated her like a queen, he made sure he treated Haley with the same amount of tender care. Mark seemed to physically tense up when anybody brought Aiden up and everyone knew the whole situation was difficult. They just hoped it would get easier with time.

Lexie headed back to Meredith's after dropping Haley off with Mark.

"Hey you." She said, walking in the kitchen, tossing her purse on the counter with a sigh.

"Wow." Meredith replied, looking at her strangely. "That's quite a face you have on. You look terrible."

"I look the way I feel, Sherlock." She said, grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

"Oh. It's Friday. Did you take Haley-bug to Mark?"

"Yep." She took a sip. "And it was just as uncomfortable as always."

"I see."

"I don't get it. It has been months, shouldn't it be easier to see each other and be in the same room without having to count the tiles on the linoleum?" Lexie asked.

"It should be." She replied. "But not when you're Mark and Lexie."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nevermind." Meredith said.

"Come on. What do you mean?" Lexie pressed.

"Nothing. Just forget I said anything."

"Meredith!" Lexie smacked the counter with her hand.

"I just mean that, look at you two. You have literally been to hell and back. I just honestly don't think that you are over each other. I don't think you ever will be."

"We are over each other." She scoffed.

"Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Meredith asked her.

"Like a loving friend?"

"Like he wants to do certain things I can't talk about in front of Haley and Zola. Lexie he wants you...badly. You cannot be that oblivious to it, can you?"

"I'm not...I'm not talking about this with you."

"Lex-" Meredith tried.

"No. I'm going to take a nap. I'll see you for dinner."

"Nice work, Meredith. Way to go."

Shortly after crashing on her bed in the attic, Lexie's cell phone buzzed from her purse. After what felt like an eternity of digging through her black hole of a purse, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey." The voice answered back.

"Aiden. How are you?"

"I'm better now." He told her. "Are we still on for the spa this weekend?"

"Oh." She told him. "I actually can't. I forgot that I have a craniotomy scheduled tomorrow and I can't really back out."

"That's okay. We can reschedule." He reassured her. "How is that perfect angel of yours?"

"With her father." She told him. "Every weekend, remember?"

"Right. Right. Well, I have a patient to see, I'll call you later?"

"Absolutely." She answered.

"Bye, gorgeous."

"Bye."

She flopped on her back and sighed. Why couldn't anything in her life ever just be simple?

"Torres." Mark greeted Callie at his door, Haley running behind him with a stuffed Elmo.

"Haley cakes!" Callie chirped.

"Auntie Callie!" Haley cheered, hugging her leg.

"How my favorite little girl?" she asked her.

"Big girl." Haley corrected, causing Mark to arch his eyebrow. "I'm this many." She said showing her two fingers.

"Oh. I see." Callie answered as Haley ran away, continuing her game.

"How are you?" She said, turning around to face Mark. "I know it's Friday and every week, you go through the same stuff."

"She came and went, just like always."

"Did she say anything to you?" She asked.

"She asked about Shannen." He told her. "I told her we were fine."

"So you lied?" Callie laughed. "You haven't told her that you guys broke up?"

"What would it change, Callie?"

"A lot. You could tell her how you feel, you could let her know." She said.

"She knows, Callie. She's always known." He explained. "Besides, I am not going to do that to her when she is happy with her boyfriend."

"Ooh, boyfriend. We'll see how long that lasts." She told him.

"What have you heard?" He inquired.

"Nothing." She told him. "I just know how she looks at you. You know it, too. You might recognize it from the mirror."

"I'm just tired of the fight. I feel like we are always fighting, but nothing ever gets accomplished. We always end up back here, miserable and alone." He sighed to Callie.

"It doesn't have to be that way." She pointed out. "Get her alone. Talk to her, but ease into it, don't bombard her entirely."

"I'll think about it." Mark said.

"That's what I want to hear." She patted him on the shoulder. "I got to run. See you soon?"

"Of course."

"Bye, Haleycakes!" She called to the little girl sitting at the table, waving with a mouth full of Goldfish. Callie laughed and walked out the door.

"There's someone here to see you." Meredith softly spoke, poking her head into Lexie's attic bedroom.

"Tell them I don't exist." She muttered, pulling the pillow over her face.

"But I can see you." She heard a man's voice come from the door, causing her to sit straight up.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as Meredith walked away, leaving the couple in silence, while he lightly sat down on the bed.

"I wanted to talk to you. I miss you, you know?" Aiden smiled, placing his finger under her chin and pulling her face up to his for a small kiss.

"I miss you too." Lexie responded, pulling him in a hug.

"So what's the matter? Why the long face?" He asked gently.

"I miss her. I miss my little troublemaker." She giggled. "I always get like this on Fridays."

"Why is it that you're not with her father anymore?" Aiden asked.

"Ummm...just...reasons." She got up and walked to her dresser. "Normal reasons. Why?"

"You just seem so uncomfortable around him. Was he abusive at all? Physically? Emotionally?" He continued.

"Whoa. Stop right there. Mark never mistreated me. We broke up, because it was what best at the time. Why that was best, is strictly between Mark and I. Don't go making up things."

"I'm sorry, babe." He walked over to her. "You just never tell me anything about it and if we are going to be picking up Haley every Sunday from his place, then-"

"I never asked you to pick up Haley, or go with me. I have always done that myself." She protested.

"I know. That's what worries me." Aiden said, turning away.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lexie pushed.

"You know what it means." He replied. "If you still love him, just tell me."

"How did we even get into this argument?" She asked, shocked and confused. "I will always love him. He is the father of my child. I can't turn that off. But if that alone makes you this insecure, then I'm not so sure we should be in this relationship."

"Are you joking?" Aiden asked, clearly pissed.

"No, I'm not. This isn't the first time you lashed out at me about Mark, but I am sure it will be the last." She said definitively.

"Fine." He said storming out.

After she heard the front door slam, she sank to the floor and began to sob. A few minutes later, Meredith stood in the doorway, slowly inching into the room.

"Honey?"

"Mer?" She looked up. "I miss him."

"Aiden will be back. He won't let you go that easy." Meredith said, sitting next to her and pulling her close to stroke her hair.

"Not Aiden." Lexie sniffled. "Aiden was like a Band-Aid. A temporary fix."

"Oh, I know who you are talking about."

"Aiden always made me feel inferior." Lexie shared.

"How?" Meredith asked.

"He was just so good at everything. A perfect dresser, a perfect dentist, a perfect driver. I just felt a little imperfect around him." She told her sister.

"But with Mark..."

"I felt like I was imperfect, but it was the imperfections that he seemed to love the most." She said, looking down.

"Do something about it, then." Meredith said.

"I can't." She answered. "No matter how badly I want to, it's just time to move on. I mean, Mark has, so I need to, also."

"If that's what you need." Meredith consoled. "I just want you happy, sweetie. I love you, you know?"

"Yeah." She wiped her eyes. "I love you. Can we just sit here for a while?"

"As long as you want."

The weekend came and went as quickly as usual and Sunday night Lexie found herself driving to Mark's like she had every weekend before, butterflies in her stomach and all. She knew in her heart, she couldn't turn off the feelings she had, and she wasn't going to get anywhere trying to hide them. However, at the same time she knew that Mark had a girlfriend, a girlfriend that she couldn't hate. Letting go hurt the worst, but she knew the longer she held on, the worse it would kill her later. She slowly walked the hallway to Mark's apartment door and knocked lightly, sighing while she waited for the door to open.

"Hey." Mark greeted, stepping aside to let her in.

"Hey." She responded. "I'm here to relieve you."

"She's not a problem at all." He chuckled.

"Haley!" Lexie called. "It's time to go, honey."

The tiny brunette came running from her room with a huge smile and a teddy bear in hand. Lexie picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Are you ready, munchkin?" Lexie asked.

"I don't wanna." She pouted.

"I know, sweetie, but we have to, okay? You'll be back next week." She tried.

"No!" Haley yelled, pulling herself away until Lexie let her down. She ran behind Mark's leg and held on tightly.

"Come on, sweetheart. You've got to go." Mark coaxed.

"No." She said, starting to whimper. "I stay."

"Haley." His voice grew stern. "Do not do this."

"No." She continued.

Mark looked over and saw Lexie begin to break down.

"Lex? Are you okay?" He asked, turning his attention to Lexie, starting to tear up by the door.

"I did this to her." She told him. "I am the reason she is becoming so messed up."

"What?" He looked down to Haley. "Why don't you go play with your toys for a few minutes, okay?"

"I left. I left and I took her away and I didn't even give it a second thought." She went on. "She loves you...fiercely. I hate having to take her away from that week after week and me having to do that is my fault."

"Sit down." He told her, pulling her to the couch. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

Haley moved to the opposite side of the room, distracted by toys.

"Nothing. It's nothing." She said, with a small laugh. "I'm just a emotional mess here lately."

"Is it Aiden?" He tiptoed, carefully.

"Aiden." She sighed. "No. Aiden is not the problem...anymore. I dumped him a couple days ago."

"I'm sorry." Mark said, touching her wrist, causing her to flinch and her breath to catch slightly. " I know he meant a lot to you."

"Not really." Lexie shared honestly. "I thought he could, eventually, but we just never seemed to get there. It just wasn't meant to be, I guess."

"Kinda like us, huh?" Mark said with a shrug.

"Nah." She smiled back. "You and I were always different. We had to be. How else would we have made that miracle happen?" She pointed to the little girl with the boucing brown curls and peircing blue eyes, who was diligently feeding a baby doll her bottle.

"She's definately the best thing I ever did." He said with a grin. "She's one of the girls that makes my world stop."

"Speaking of you world stopping." Lexie moved on. "I hear you and Shannen are getting pretty serious. Have you thought about taking the next step?" She arched her eyebrow and nudged him playfully like a friend would.

"Actually, Shannen and I-"

"Ugh! You're right." Lexie cut him off. "It's none of my business."

Lexie's pager began to beep, interrupting Mark's next sentence.

"It's Derek. 911 on my patient." She said, standing up and grabbing her purse. "Is there any way you can-"

"Haley can stay here." Mark finished for her.

"Thank you so much." She said, walking to Haley and kneeling down to hug her. "I'm gonna see you soon, princess. I love you."

"Love you, Mommy." Haley answered, waving to her as she walked out the door.

All Mark could do was sit on the couch and kick himself. This is the life he created for himself? He had to fix it.

I hope you guys are enjoying this new direction. It is so much fun to finally get to write some dialogue for Haley. I am mainly using sentences that my two-year-old little sister has been heard saying. Anyway, review please, because I love them so. Until mext time, guys! XOXO